Met Office figures showed 90 per cent of the strikes came in a six-hour blast from 4am to 10am on Wednesday.

Those struggling to cope with the heat will blow a sigh of relief as temperatures get set to drop to between 18C and 26C over the coming days.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkhill said: "Most of the thunder moved through the north of the UK but there is still the potential for more showers to kick off.

"Thursday is not looking bad, there could be some showers dotted here and there and then some more showery rain going into Friday.

"The weekend will not be terrible, although not as hot as it has been - there will be bright and sunny breaks when it will be quite warm."

Tuesday was the hottest day of the year in Scotland so far, when the mercury reached a sweltering 28.3C in Prestwick, Ayrshire.

Alex Priestley, a Met Office forecaster based in Aberdeen, said: "Threave in Dumfries and Galloway was 27.8C and Kinlochewe in Wester Ross was 27C," he said. "In the cities, Glasgow was 26.8C, Aberdeen was 25C and Edinburgh was 24C."

Portobello on the hottest day of the year

The heatwave is feared to have cost several people their lives.

Soldier Josh Hoole, from Ecclefechan near Lockerbie in Scotland, died in Brecon, Wales, while on a training exercise earlier that day.

The 26-year-old member of The Rifles regiment was on pre-course training for the Platoon Sergeants' Battle Course.

Stifling conditions in London led to an outbreak of disorder at a water fight in Hyde Park as three people, including a police officer, were stabbed, while four officers and a member of the public suffered other injuries.